


Prophets and Deities

by artsakira



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Eventual Romance, George is so dense and oblivious, M/M, Magic, More tags will probably be added in the future
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:33:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28213230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artsakira/pseuds/artsakira
Summary: Two kingdoms at war with two different ideologies. George is just a poor fisherman's son and all that's important to him is the safety of his family. When he enlists the help of an enemy spy named Dream, they agree to help each other and then to part ways forever...until they receive the unwanted attention of some prophets and deities, then they’re in for an adventure unlike they anticipated.DNF Fantasy AU.
Relationships: Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF)
Kudos: 2





	1. A Deal

**Author's Note:**

> I can't preface this without mentioning Protected by Aenqa and kreativeboom's art on Instagram. Even though I'm not writing a royalty au, their works have still inspired me so much! Definitely check them out if you haven't.

George stared up at the overcast sky and knew there’d be a storm soon. He sighed, slumping with his gear. He thought he’d be able to go fishing today, but it’d be too unsafe at this point. The clouds were dark and the air was tense. There was no wind, but it was always like this before a storm. It was always eerily quiet. He should have known, but he thought his dream last night was an inkling that he’d have luck today. 

He began to make his way back home. He didn’t have premonitions, he wasn’t a prophet for god’s sake, but he felt good about this one. He told his mum that morning over breakfast. In his dream, he was holding two candles. Wax was melting quickly over his hands, but he still held onto the candles. Once they burnt out, he quickly plunged his hands into cold water. When he had lifted them, there were no burns or wax. His mum had suggested that this meant the water had something good for him. But, of course, that was wrong. It wasn’t that George feared the storms or couldn’t swim, but he couldn’t risk it. His mum was relying on him and he couldn’t be reckless anymore. He shifted the fishing gear in his arms and slowed his pace. Well, he couldn’t be reckless until he left. They had received the conscription notice just recently. They were foolish to think they wouldn’t send one after his father’s service, but it was inevitable with how the war was going. Maybe he had an appeal, but they were poor and illiterate. How could they travel to the capital or deal with paperwork? He also had no connections that could help him. Everyone he knew was illiterate, too. The noblemen couldn’t give a shit about George’s plight. Logistically, it was impossible. He looked out towards the ocean again. Perhaps he should just risk it and go out. His mum would need all the support he could give before he had to leave. Before he made up his mind to head out to the boat, thunder rumbled in the sky. He shook his head and decided to cut through some alleyways to get back home. He heard another rumble in the sky and looked around. The area was devoid of its liveliness. George was young when the war started, but he remembered going to the market with his parents on weekends. There were lots of traders and food. Now everything always seemed so solemn. 

George thought he saw something out of the corner of his eye. Like a cloak or something. No one was out. George walked out of the alley and back to the street. He should probably warn them about the storm if they were planning on fishing. He saw the cloak again and turned the corner into an alleyway. He saw the dark yellow cloak and perked up.

“Hey!” he called out. The figure stopped and tensed up.

“The weather’s pretty awful, so if you’re planning on-” George broke off his sentence. The person had turned around and revealed an ominous mask with a smiley face on it. The sight was so unusual that George had no idea how to respond. Before George could speak again, the person started to sprint away. Without thinking, George started to chase after them. Then he realized how dumb he was. This person was hiding their face. George had heard there were spies crossing the border and passing through his town. His heart began to race. If this was a spy, he’d probably be out skilled. Plus, he was carrying more weight and would be slower. He probably couldn’t catch up. But perhaps if he caught the spy and turned him in, he’d get a reward. Perhaps then he could afford to go to the capital. He picked up his pace by kicking his feet harder into the ground.

“Hey!” George yelled out again, but this time with more alarm. The stranger in the yellow cloak weaved through the streets skillfully, George had to admit. And George was also quickly running out of stamina while the stranger didn’t seem to falter. The thing is, George had the advantage. He knew the layout better. He slowly chased the stranger into what he knew was a dead end.

“Hey! Stop!” George yelled again. He had no idea what else to say. The person in the yellow cloak came to a hard stop when they realized it was a dead end. They turned around into a fight stance. George didn’t know a lot of combat.

“W-wait!” George held his hands up in the air, gear slipping to the ground. The stranger stayed tense.

“I don’t want to fight you, I-I’m just…” George trailed off. His heart was beating in his ears. It sounded like the rhythmic beating of horses parading down the street. He was gasping for breath.

“Who are you?” the stranger asked. Deep voice. George assumed it was a man. 

“I-I’m just a fisherman’s son. I mean. I’m a fisherman,” George stumbled, still catching his breath. This man probably had weapons on him. George had some fishing nets and hooks? He looked behind him, but no one was out. He looked up and the sky looked darker. George swallowed heavily, his heart still pounding. 

“Who are you?” George asked nervously. The man looked ready to run.

“Are you a spy?” George asked. He then wanted to smack his head. He was making the dumbest decisions today. The man looked like he was going to grab a weapon.

“Wait!” George yelled in panic and held his hands out in front of him. His mind was racing.  
“Are you literate?” he asked quickly. The man looked up at him slowly. The mask made him seem extremely uncanny.

“What?” He sounded confused. 

“Are-are you literate? Can you write?” George repeated. The man returned his hands to his sides but remained tense.

“Yes…?” he trailed off. George looked behind him again. Still nobody.

“You’re a spy, right? I’ve heard about you using this town to pass through. A lot of you have been, I know,” George stumbled. He tried speaking with more confidence than he had, but he wasn’t an actor.

“I’m not a spy,” the man said defensively. George furrowed his eyebrows. It bothered him that he couldn’t see this person’s expressions. 

“Then what are you? Are you from this country?” George asked quickly. His stomach dropped with anxiety. What if he had been chasing one of his countrymen? No, this man’s cloak wasn’t their country’s color. None of his countrymen would proudly wear yellow or green onto the streets like this. And the mask indicated secrecy.

“I’m just a traveler,” the man responded.

“A traveler who runs from me and wears a mask…” George raised an eyebrow. George could see the man shifting, but George walked closer to close him in more.

“Ok, yes, what if I say I’m a spy?” the man asked. George peered at him closer. He must have had weapons and he looked fit. At least, more than George who mostly sat in a boat all day.

“Why aren’t you fighting me?” George suddenly asked. Again, George wished he could just keep his mouth shut. He didn’t want to fight this man, but he was confused. George had him cornered, but it’d probably only take a few hits to knock him out. George took a few steps back.

“I don’t want to hurt anyone. Listen, let’s make a deal. I won’t hurt you and you keep your mouth shut,” His hands whipped around as he spoke and his shoulders bobbed as he spoke. The man had very expressive body language, perhaps to make up for his concealed face. George thought about the threat for a moment.

“Or I could turn you in and receive a reward,” George said out loud. 

“No, no, you cannot do that,” the man instantly started to panic. George had no intention of doing so. How would he even do that in the first place?

“But,” George cocked his head to the side, “you said you were literate, right?” He had a plan brewing in his head.

“Why is that relevant even?” he asked, exasperated. 

“Ok, I have a deal for you,” George began to offer.

“You’re in no position to be offering deals,” the man groaned.

“I mean, I could always just turn you in,” he threatened. The man grew quiet again. 

“So, I have a deal for you. You see, I have a problem. My father was conscripted in the war as the male of our household. He passed away in combat, but now I’m being conscripted. I have an argument to not be, but I need to travel to the capital and- and there’s paperwork, but I can’t read or write,” George started to explain.

“Why is this relevant?” the stranger asked. George shot him a look.

“And you see, I’m not very patriotic. I don’t care about my country that much as long as my mum and I are okay. So, if you help me with annulling my conscription at the capital, you’ll be able to, I don’t know, do your thing. Spy on the affairs of my country. I’m sure the capital has lots of information for you,” George proposed.

“That doesn’t sound very beneficial for me,” the man drawled.

“Or I could turn you in,” George looked out to the street again. He was lucky there were so few people out.

“No! I...this is ridiculous,” he said. 

“And how are you traveling right now? In secret and sleeping on the sides of roads? If you’re with me, you’ll be much less suspicious. And we can just say you wear a mask because...I don’t know, bad fishing accident? People won’t question it as much if you’re traveling with me, a countryman,” George continued. The man continued to stay silent. 

“I have an uncle who lives in the capital that we can stay with. It’s only a two or three-day journey from here. And once we’re done, I can help you get out of the country. Doesn’t the capital have information you want?” George prodded a little further. He felt a drop on his hand and looked up. The rain was about to start.

“So I just...have to go to the capital. And we do some paperwork. And...what if they still make you go to war?” he asked. George shrugged.

“Then I’ll have to go to war. At least I would have tried,” he responded. 

“This is ridiculous,” the stranger exclaimed again. George raised his eyebrows expectantly. The stranger sighed.

“I’m not doing this out of the kindness of my heart. I’ll only do it if you promise to help me get out of the country safely. The moment I think you might betray me, I won’t hesitate to kill you,” the stranger pointed at George and threatened him. George worried for a moment that he was making the dumbest decision yet, but it seemed worth the risk to him. Die right now or die in combat, it all seemed the same to George.

“Alright. I promise to do that as long as you help me out,” George promised. 

“Oh, wait. My name is George. What’s yours?” he asked. George felt some more raindrops until it kicked into a full-on rainfall. Neither of them moved.

“Call me Dream,” he responded. George knew that couldn’t be the stranger’s real name, but he didn’t need to know his actual one. 

“Well, okay _Dream_. I need to stop back home before we travel,” he said. He looked closer at Dream’s cloak getting soaked from the cold rain and he found it in himself to have some pity.

“We have a spare room at my house. And my mum won’t care, promise,” George offered. He saw Dream’s shoulder slumped and he wordlessly followed George out of the dead-end alleyway. They walked in silence for a while, the rain creating white noise. George had no idea what to say. Perhaps he shouldn’t invite an enemy spy into his home. Perhaps he shouldn’t have blackmailed- er, enlisted the help of an enemy to help him. No one in his country could help him, though. They’d question where his patriotism was. Why wouldn’t he want to fight for his country? He almost scoffed out loud at that. Why would he want to? Risking his life for a war he didn’t care about? It didn’t seem worth it.

“What do you mean that a lot of spies are traveling through this area?” Dream suddenly asked. George almost didn’t hear it over the rain. 

“Shouldn’t you know better than me?” George asked. Dream shrugged.

“I don’t know about every little thing that my country does,” Dream responded. Some of George’s wet hair became plastered to his forehead. He wiped at it and looked over to Dream again. At least that weird mask of his protected him from the heavy rain. 

“From what I’ve heard, your country is anxious that they’re losing the war. We’ve got more powerful people on our side and you just have more mouths to feed that you can’t. This town is a port, so it’s easy to access, and it’s not far from the capital, but who knows,” George said. He didn’t keep up with reports about who was winning. The fact that trade was suffering seemed much more pressing.

“Ha. They tell us that your country is losing because people are dying faster than you can get new troops,” Dream responded dryly. They turned a corner.

“We’re almost back. When we’re inside, it’s okay if you take off your mask. My mum and I won’t care,” George offered. Dream shook his head.

“You think I trust you enough to do that?” Dream asked.

“Suit yourself. It looks uncomfortable, though,” George retorted. Dream didn’t respond to that. George couldn’t imagine wearing a mask all the time. Wouldn’t it be hot and stuffy? But if Dream was adamant, so be it. George slowed his pace until they were on the front doorsteps of his small, modest home. He looked around to see if anyone else was out, but of course, no one was because of the rain. Luckily no one would see Dream.

“Take off your shoes here,” George told Dream at the entryway, already taking off his own shoes. Dream did so a bit awkwardly. 

“And you should probably stay here a moment,” George added. 

“Mum!” he called out. His heart rate picked up again. He was going to have to explain this to her. He entered a back room where she was weaving cloaks. They looked perfect to sell for the upcoming winter.

“Mum,” George got her attention. She looked up at him and let her eyes focus.

“George. I knew you’d come back once the rain started. It’s okay,” she comforted. Her eyes looked weary and her hands were weathered, but she was the rock of their small family. George felt more resolve. He shakily began to explain to her what had happened. She had set down her weaving and looked out the windows.  
“George, how could you?” she raised her voice a little but was conscious to keep it down. They didn’t need their neighbors knowing.

“It’ll be okay. I feel like I know what I’m doing and it’s worth the risk. How could I leave you home to support yourself? If I can stay here and continue working, I wouldn’t have to worry about you and you wouldn’t have to worry about me,” George insisted. Her face was deeply lined with concern.

“George, I don’t trust anyone from their country, let alone a spy. You’ve let this stranger into our home, and you-you’re endangering yourself,” she reprimanded.

“Why was he so quick to be compliant? Just for safe travel and exit out of the country? Doesn’t that seem suspicious to you?” she asked. George faltered. It was.

“He didn’t hurt me, though. I can tell that he could have, but he didn’t hurt me at all. I don’t know him that well, but I feel like he’s an okay guy. My first instincts tell me that. And it’s worth it, mum, please. I don’t-I don’t want to die in a ditch. A-and no one else can help me with this except for him,” he insisted, voice breaking against his will sometimes. His mum stayed silent for a long moment. She still looked disapproving. 

“If he hurts you,” she capitulated, “then you hurt him back. You take your hunting knife with you. Your safety is more important than his.” George nodded.

“If the police find this spy, don’t hesitate to turn him in,” she added. George nodded again. As she stood up, George’s face fell.  
“Oh, also…” he trailed off. She looked a bit exasperated.

“He, uh, his name is Dream, but he wears this mask. He wears it all the time. So, just, expect that,” he told his mum. She just sighed and followed him out of the room. They walked out and saw Dream still standing awkwardly in the doorway.

“We’ll need to get you a different cloak. No one in this country would ever wear a green cloak like that,” she immediately said to him. She gestured for him to give it to her and she balled it up.

“We’ll have to burn this. Sorry,” she said without remorse.

“That’s ok. Uh, thank you for letting me stay,” he said awkwardly. She gave him a hard look.

“George, can you take this and burn it?” she asked. He took it from her and realized that she was going to speak to Dream alone. He wanted to ask her to be nice, but he couldn’t, so he silently left the room. As he headed towards the kitchen, he strained his ears, but they were speaking too quietly. He sighed and stoked the fire. As it was kicking up, he looked at the cloak. He couldn’t tell it was green before. It looked nice. The fabric was thick and soft. He almost felt bad burning it. He had to chuck it in, though. It caught fire and burned brightly. The flames climbed higher and higher, warming George’s face. 

“George! He’ll be sleeping on the floor next to your bed. Could you set it up for him, please?” his mum called out to him. He looked away from his trance and his face immediately felt colder. He walked out and saw his mum fitting a brown cloak around Dream’s shoulders. It was one of George’s old ones. Offhandedly, George thought about how the dark color brought out the blonde in Dream’s hair. He was also much more tan than George.

“Won’t people find it off that Dream is blonde?” George suddenly asked.

“Your king is blonde. And so is the youngest prince,” Dream reminded him dryly. George felt himself flush a little.

“Oh,” he said dumbly. He rubbed the back of his neck anxiously.

“I’ll...go set up your bed,” he said and escaped. As he gathered up extra blankets from the closet, he wondered how the journey would be. Right now, George still felt awkward around Dream, but they were only going to travel together to the capital. Maybe they’d be there for a few days. Maybe they’d travel a bit after that to get Dream out of the country. That would be a week’s worth, maybe two, of time. If they didn’t get along, it wouldn’t matter much in the long run.


	2. Invitation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> George and Dream embark on their journey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So uhhhhh problem. My rlly old computer has decided to stop working. I have a buffer written for this story, but idk what's going to happen. Haha. I edited this chapter on my phone. Pls...pls enjoy this update.

The sun had just begun to rise, but George and Dream had already begun their journey. That morning, they woke up before it was light out and packed. Food, clothing, weapons, money. George’s mum held him tight and wished him the best. She handed him his sharp hunting knife and folded it in his hands. She told him to keep it secret so Dream doesn’t know. He nodded silently. George took their horse Beckerson out of the stables and the two men quietly left the seaside town. They had decided to walk on foot until they reached the countryside. As George looked at the sunrise, it just looked yellow to him. Yellow and grey. Even though it wasn’t winter, yet, the morning was still cold and George held his cloak close to himself. Dream appeared even more miserable.

“Is it nice having warm weather all the time?” George suddenly asked. He couldn’t help making small talk.

“I guess. It doesn’t snow,” Dream answered. 

“Snow isn’t that bad. It looks pretty,” George responded. He didn’t like the snow too much, but when the snowfall stops and everything is quiet is the most peaceful. 

“Are we in the countryside?” Dream asked, looking behind them to look at the empty fields. George slowed his pace and brought Beckerson to a stop. 

“I suppose so,” George said and pulled out his map from his bag. He handed it to Dream.

“We’ll ride until we get to this town,” Dream pointed to it on the map for George, “we’ll set up camp.” George nodded in response. Dream hoisted himself up on the horse first. George almost protested, but Dream could actually read the map. He got up behind him and the horse began walking. 

“Why couldn’t we take both horses?” Dream asked. 

“My mum still needs one,” George defended.

“We could have traveled faster with two,” Dream responded. 

“We’ll get there eventually,” George said. It was also a bit of a safety measure. George didn’t want Dream taking his own horse and escaping. As long as they were on the same horse, Dream couldn’t get away from him.

“You should pull your hood down more,” George added.

“We’re out in the middle of nowhere. No one is going to see us.”

“You look too odd with that mask of yours. You should really take it off to seem more normal. No one is going to know who you are.”

“I can’t and I won’t,” Dream said with a finality that made George scared for a second. He let the subject drop. They weren’t going at a fast pace, so George propped himself up by keeping his hands on Beckerson’s hips behind him. He would rather die than hold onto Dream. George thinks he would die of embarrassment. George’s current position caused him loads of lower back pain, but he lived with it. As the sun got higher, the weather turned nicer. They got off the horse for lunch and sat down in a grassy field. They hadn’t crossed paths with anyone yet which was incredibly lucky. George looked over to Dream who was still pouring over the map.

“I have an idea,” Dream said tentatively.

“Have you ever invoked a deity?” Dream asked. George almost choked on his bread.

“Are you joking? I would never. I haven’t even seen one. My mum always told me they were capricious and hard to deal with,” George responded. Dream nodded.

“I thought so…” he trailed off. George stared at him.   
“Why would you want to do that? That seems like a bit much,” George said. Deities overall made him anxious. He’d heard of many bad stories with them. They cursed whoever they didn’t like and changed moods constantly. 

“I don’t know. I was thinking we could get one to help us, but I don’t know the deities of your country well enough,” Dream sighed and closed the map. When he ate, he only lifted the bottom of his mask enough to get food into his mouth. George couldn’t even see his nose, but he thought he saw some freckles. He didn’t mention it.

“I think we don’t need their help. That feels like a bit much since we’re just some travelers going to the capital.” George insisted.

“It’d make things easier. Or faster. Especially since we don’t have two horses,” Dream brought up again. If George looked closer, he thought he saw a scar, but Dream brought his mask over his lower face again. 

“Travelers in my country ask for help all the time,” Dream added. George noted how his voice sounded just a little bit more muffled with the mask than without. He still didn’t like the eerie smile on it.

“They do here as well, it's just...I don’t know, it makes me uncomfortable. We don’t need their help,” George kept insisting. Dream sighed dramatically.

“You’re just making this harder for us. It makes me not want to help you,” Dream said. George jolted at that.   
“No, wait!” he called out.

“I mean...perhaps we could. You would have to deal with it. I want no part of it,” George compromised.    
“Fine by me. There’s a shrine a ways up ahead. We can get there before nightfall if we’re timely about it,” Dream said before standing up.

“Let’s get going,” Dream said and George got up, too. George’s lower back was starting to really kill him, but his pride made him too stubborn. So they continued their journey. At one point they saw another horse in the distance, but Dream just brought his hood down low. They passed the person without any conflict. 

“You’re going to get us caught,” George had hissed, still holding his breath even though they had long passed the lone traveler.

“I know how to fight if we do,” Dream responded. That didn’t make George feel any better. Suddenly, his thoughts began to consume him. He was worried this all was a mistake and that he jumped too fast into it. What if Dream got him into serious trouble? What if they think George was hiding Dream and they arrest him for treason? Was he hiding Dream? He supposed that he was. But he had to remind himself that it was worth it. He just had to think of his mum. She had worked so hard once father died. She didn’t falter for a moment. She made sure George was taken care of and had no worries. He was willing to do this for her, however foolish it was. 

And George hadn’t asked any questions, but Dream was mysterious to him. The most obvious was the mask on his face. He was so adamant about hiding his identity. He had even slept with it on. George had noticed when he woke up that morning. He supposed his questions are ones that anyone would have. How did he become a spy? What was he looking for? What did spies even do? George wasn’t sure he wanted to know. 

“Do you know about these deities?” Dream asked. George was jolted out of his thoughts.

“Uh, no idea,” he responded. He didn’t know much about any deities. Maybe to a fault.

“How? They’re the closest ones marked on the map. You really don’t know anything, huh,” Dream sounded annoyed. George’s face heated up.

“We’re not like your country! I can’t keep track of every deity in every province. That’s crazy! Maybe you should have done more research before you came here,” George responded. 

“I didn’t expect to be blackmailed by some idiot,” Dream complained. 

“Idiot? Imagine being the idiot getting blackmailed in the first place!” George yelled back.    
“I’m gonna push you off this horse and leave you behind if you don’t shut up!” Dream yelled, turning his head back at George.

“Beckerson listens to me! He’ll kick you off and then we’ll both be injured and miserable, so you should just be quiet!” George threatened. Beckerson did not listen to George. Not ever. Dream didn’t know that, though. He stayed begrudgingly quiet for a while. 

“The shrine's coming up. You stay on the horse while I deal with it,” Dream ordered. George wanted to argue with him, but he didn’t want to deal with it, so he stayed silent. As soon as it came on the horizon, George’s mouth dropped. The thing is, George had only left home a few times. He remembers visiting his uncle in the capital a few times in his youth, but that became harder once the war started. For the most part, he stayed in their small town and fished and traded. Most of his life had been within those borders. George hardly remembered the capital - he was too young to bother marveling at the architecture - but the shrine was large and beautiful. There were stained glass windows visible from this distance. The building was also extremely tall. Taller than any building from back home.

“It looks different from what I expected. So gothic,” Dream complained. George wanted to hit him, but didn’t want to risk losing balance and falling off the horse.

“Oh, so what do they look like in your country?” George asked.

“Hm. Taller. There’s usually pillars and statues,” Dream explained simply. George couldn’t imagine it at all.    
“Doesn’t sound so great,” he mumbled. As they got closer, George was more alert and uneasy.

“Dream...don’t do anything stupid. Don’t make them mad or anything,” he warned. Dream scoffed.

“I know what I’m dealing with,” he said with such confidence that George felt more comfortable. When they got closer, Dream gracefully got off the horse.

“Stay here. I won’t be long,” Dream waved.

“Don’t you run off or anything,” George warned.

“And walk off in the middle of nowhere with no food and no horse? I’m not dumb. Just stay here,” Dream told him again. George gathered up the reins in his hands and couldn’t help playing with the leather between his fingers. His mum always told him not to do that because it’d fray the edges. He was too nervous to care at that moment. Dream’s figure got smaller until he entered the building. George couldn’t get a good look inside, but with the tall windows, there must be a lot of light. 

“I guess it’s just me and you Beckerson. For now. Until Dream gets back,” George said while stroking some of the horse’s main. He was acting pretty well behaved, if not a little tired. George felt a little bad and hopped off his back to take off some weight.

“You probably needed a break anyway,” George reassured the horse. Beckerson couldn’t understand him, but hopefully, he felt the sentiment. George felt all achy after riding for so long and maybe his legs needed a stretch. As the minutes passed, George became tired of standing, though, and kept shifting his weight side to side. Eventually, he sat in the dirt.

“Dream’s taking a long time,” George muttered. It probably hadn’t been that long, but the minutes alone felt much longer. George stared at the stained glass. There were two prominent figures, one blue and one red. He wondered how they colored it since he knew nothing about glassmaking. Suddenly, he saw a bright light coming out of the window. He thought he heard some distant yelling, but hoped he was imagining it. As tension built in his gut, he heard more yelling that was louder. He immediately shot to his feet.

“You stay here, Beckerson,” George ordered and tied him to the fence post for good measure. He stalled for a moment, stomach-turning, but opened the doors to the shrine.

“George, what the fuck?” Dream yelled. He then saw Dream get punched square in the jaw by the blue figure. Well, not blue. He wore blue. His skin looked slightly faceted and shiny. Like a gem.

“Dream!” George yelled in shock. He started to run forward, but the red-figure appeared in front of him. Not red. His face was shrouded in shadow, but he had red horns. 

“Skeppy! There’s another one,” he pointed right at George. Almost frozen with fear, George somehow managed to put his hands up in the air.   
“I’m not associated with him,” George insisted. Dream groaned.

“You know each other’s names, though,” the figure in front of him commented. George kept his hands in the air.

“Okay, so maybe we know each other. Just a little bit,” George admitted, voice shaky. The figure raised an eyebrow at him.

“Just a little bit?” he asked. George laughed nervously.

“Yeah, and whatever he did, I’m sure he can apologize and we can just...get along and...leave in peace?” George’s voice pitched higher. He was never good at conflict resolution. His whole body was stiff with terror. He hoped they couldn't see how shaky his hands were. 

“These psychos attacked me!” Dream yelled.

“We,” the figure wearing blue (Skeppy?) walked next to the other deity and said, “were rudely barged in on and then yelled at. And then attacked.” He shot a look at Dream who was rubbing his jaw. He shrugged.

“I told you not to cause problems!” George reprimanded.

“I came here expecting help and then they fucking attacked me! What was I supposed to do?” he asked. 

“Language,” the deity with horns pointed a finger at Dream. Dream stared back at him with his deadpan mask and stayed absolutely silent. George reckoned he was unamused. 

“Okay, that’s it, my patience is really running thin with you guys,” Skeppy said. He pointed his hands and all of a sudden lava was running down the sides of the room. All the exits were effectively blocked off. George and Dream yelled as the temperature rose dramatically, their voices overlapping.

“Why is there lava?”

“What the fuck?” 

“Language!” Bad chastised again.

“Okay, no cursing, got it,” George said, turning to the two deities. He felt sweat prick up on his body. Was it from the heat or nervousness? He had no idea. The glowing lava popped and flowed onto the floor. George rubbed his hands together nervously.

“ Listen, I’m sorry that Dream offended you and I know Dream is awfully sorry, too, so if you just let us go-” George got cut off by Skeppy storming closer to him.

“Dream and George. You have entered sacred ground and upset us. There will be a price to pay,” Skeppy threatened menacingly. The warm light of the lava glinted off Skeppy’s skin. George instantly regretted everything.

“...What….price?” he asked shakily.

“Hmmm, Bad, what do you think?” Skeppy asked, turning to the other deity. His skin glinted the blue light coming in from the window. George’s eyes went wide as, at this close distance, he realized that Skeppy was wearing an uncountable amount of diamonds. Diamond jewelry, diamond-encrusted clothing...George had to not think about how expensive that must be in order to not freak out even more than he was.

“We fight them to the death!” Bad yelled. George cried out.   
“Please don’t do that!” he begged. The two deities started laughing.

“Bad’s just kidding. I want to see if you can solve this riddle,” Skeppy said, smiling cheerfully as if they hadn’t just threatened them.

“There’s no way George can answer a riddle. I’m doomed,” Dream whispered in horror. George glared at him. 

“I bet I can. Go ahead...Skeppy. Please,” George retaliated but remembered his place. He didn’t want to anger the deities further. Skeppy stared at George head-on.

“Alright. I’m gonna say this once because I don’t want to repeat it, so listen carefully:

I talk, but I do not speak my mind

I hear words, but I do not listen to thoughts

When I wake, all see me

When I sleep, all hear me

Many heads are on my shoulders

Many hands are at my feet

The strongest steel cannot break my visage

But the softest whisper can destroy me

The quietest whimper can be heard.

What am I?”

George never cared much for religion, but he prayed. The moon goddess watched over his country and surely she had some pity in her heart for him. Or maybe this was his punishment for helping an enemy spy. At first he thought the answer could be a child or a baby. They aren’t very smart and people fawn over them, but they don’t have multiple heads or feet. He thought about all the monsters this could apply to. Maybe Cerberus or the Hydra, but no one’s seen Cerberus and a whimper can’t defeat a Hydra. He looked at Skeppy and Bad’s faces. Skeppy’s faceted one and Bad’s shadowy one. He looked over to Dream who was slumped over in defeat. He still wore his smiling mask. He squinted at Dream.

A smiling mask. 

“Could it be…” he trailed off nervously. Skeppy and Bad looked at him expectantly. A smiling mask. And a frowning mask. That’s….

“An actor?” he asked.

“Because they have scripts and they play a bunch of parts. And they need to portray a lot of emotions…?” George explained, voice pitching higher again. His eyebrows furrowed together intensely as he waited for their response. Oh, god, what were they going to do to him? They were going to curse him. Or worse, they’d kill him. 

“I’m really impressed! You got that correct!” Skeppy said cheerfully, clapping and making the lava disappear. George breathed a sigh of relief. He looked over and saw Dream relax, too.

“Usually travelers struggle with Skeppy’s riddles, so I’ve got to give you some credit, I suppose,” Bad said begrudgingly. 

“So we can go?” George asked tentatively. Skeppy made a show of putting a finger on his chin and looking pensive.

“Hmmm….I mean, usually I would give you a reward for answering the riddle correctly, but if you want to go…” Skeppy trailed off.

“No! We don’t mind a reward at all!” Dream insisted. He finally went over and stood beside George, clapping a hand on his shoulder. 

“Well, what do you guys want?” Bad asked. 

“We’re traveling to the capital. We were wondering, to make travel easier, if we could get another horse? Or something to make traveling easier?” George asking before Dream could say anything and ruin their chances.

“Oh, the capital! I haven’t been there for a while. What will you guys be doing there?” Skeppy asked. George’s face fell as he thought about it again. Maybe he should have asked them for help with his conscription, but he shoved away that thought. The deities couldn’t help him with that. That was too complicated and they weren’t that gracious. Dream noticed George’s silence. 

“We’re visiting for trade. Times are hard. Maybe we’ll strike gold with someone rich,” Dream easily lied. George appreciated that. 

“Big activities are happening in the capital right now. Lots of important people are gathering. Perfect for trade, I suppose,” Bad commented.

“Lots of people? For what?” Dream asked. Bad laughed.

“Oh, you’ll find out when you get there. Hope you like your new horse. His name is Darwin!” Bad waved and led them out of the shrine.

“By the way, you two should really try not to anger any more deities. We’re pretty nice, but some of those other guys will cut your heads off without a second thought,” he warned, making George shudder.   
“Thanks for the warning. We’ll be more careful,” George shot a glare at Dream. The doors then shut soundly behind them. George sighed.

“You’re such an idiot,” he grumbled. Dream’s head turned sharply in his direction.

“What? It’s not my fault those two were so weird. Deities, where I come from, are much more normal,” he complained. George looked out and saw a black horse, presumably Darwin, standing next to Beckerson. The two seemed to get along fine enough to stand each other’s presence. Better than him and Dream.

“All that matters is that I got us out of that situation and now we have a new horse, saddle and all,” George smiled. He raked some of his fingers through Darwin’s mane. His hair was smoother than Beckerson’s. 

“Darwin’s a bit of a poor name, but I can’t think of anything better,” he sighed and hoisted himself up.

“Why do you get to ride the new horse? Isn’t Beckerson yours?” Dream complained.   
“I won this horse. And if you try running off with Beckerson, he’ll stop at my command,” George threatened again, but it was empty. Beckerson rarely listened to George on good days. Dream didn't have to know that, though. George noticed there was a bag attached to the side of the saddle. As Dream swung a leg over Beckerson’s worn saddle, George reached down and opened the buckle. Disappointingly, there was only an envelope with paper inside.

“Dream, can you read this for me? It came with Darwin,” George trotted his horse next to Dream’s and handed him the paper. Dream’s eyes scanned over it and widened.

“It’s...an invitation to a ball,” he said, shocked. George’s mouth fell open.

“What? No way. You’re lying.”

“I’m not! It says King Philza is holding a ball in the capital a couple of days from now. That must be why so many people are gathering there,” Dream said. It made sense, George supposed. Dream had no use lying to him about that. 

“Well, isn’t that good for you? I mean, I guess there’s higher security, but some pretty high profile people will be there,” George commented. Dream nodded.

“i guess. I don’t know if I feel safe, though. There’ll be a lot of guards and knights. Maybe we should turn back now and wait until the ball has passed,” Dream offered. George shook his head.

“We’ve got to get this done now or else they’ll drag me away from home. And you’ll be fine. They won’t suspect you as long as you’re with me. There’ll be so many people that they won’t take a second glance at you.” They had both started traveling down the worn dirt path again. George was incredibly thankful that his lower back muscles were saved and that he didn’t have to be at close proximity to Dream. And, he had to admit, they would probably make better time like this. 

“I guess you’re right,” Dream gave in. 

“We won’t go to the ball if that makes you feel better. You need to keep a low profile and I doubt they’d let me in even with an invitation,” George gestured to himself. He didn’t own anything nice enough to wear. They’d take one look at his calloused hands and weathered shoes and they’d turn him away. 

“Yeah, yeah, okay. I got it,” Dream said, but slipped the invite into his bag. George supposed they could sell it at the capital for money. He didn’t pay it much mind. He prepared himself to travel in silence again, but Dream spoke up.   
“Uh, George,” he called out. George raised an eyebrow at him.   
“Yeah?” he asked. Dream wasn’t facing direction.   
“Thanks. For what you did in there. You kind of got me out of a bad situation,” he sounded strained like it was taking everything in him to thank George. He found it equal parts funny and surprising. Dream thanking him? He honestly didn’t expect that from him at all.

“Uh, no problem. I just can’t believe we both got out of that alive,” George responded. 

“And all that for a horse,” Dream said. For some reason, George laughed.

“We almost died for a horse! We have to be more careful in the future,” George said, but he couldn’t stop laughing. 

“Darwin better be the best fucking horse out there or else it wasn’t worth it,” Dream responded. George nodded.

“He rides better than Beckerson, but Beckerson will always hold a place in my heart,” George joked. Dream laughed at that.

“If you’re so sentimental, then switch with me when we travel tomorrow,” Dream proposed.

“Ah, hmmm, I’ll have to think about that,” George said unconvincingly, but Dream let it drop. They were riding in silence again, but this time it felt a little bit more comfortable. They had survived two deities and hadn’t even been traveling for twelve hours. Whatever else this journey had, George felt like they could take it. 

**Author's Note:**

> If there are any questions you have, just drop a comment below! Or contact me through any of my social media (Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter)! I would love to chat ^^  
> Thank you so much for reading! I really appreciate it <3  
> UPDATES WILL BE EVERY THURSDAY (HOPEFULLY)


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